About Competition
The official registration (email registration) for this competition will be closed at 17:00 (UTC+8) on March 2, 2026. The submission for application document is due at 17:00 (UTC+8) on March 5, 2026
1 Competition Background
Dadonghai is the first scenic destination where domestic and international visitors encounter Sanya.
Located in the southeastern part of Sanya’s central urban district, Dadonghai Area is the city’s earliest developed coastal resort. It features approximately 3 kilometers of continuous high-quality coastline. Since the 1990s, Dadonghai has been a key destination for domestic and international tourists to experience Sanya’s tropical coastal charm. Owing to its fully open beaches and close connection to the old downtown, Dadonghai also stands as one of the most vibrant coastal spaces for the city’s public life.
As the Hainan Free Trade Port advances and Sanya accelerates its development into a world-renowned modern coastal city ideal for living, visiting, and working, the Dadonghai Area must leverage urban renewal as a key driver, to transform from a traditional seaside resort into a high-quality, international, and mixed-use urban coastal destination.
How can a coastal landmark, matured over 30 years, transform itself for a new era?
The Dadonghai Area is included in the renewal scope of The Sanya City Urban Renewal Special Plan (2024 Edition). Guided by the vision of creating “a distinctive, experience-driven living harbor with unique regional charm” and “the most vibrant urban coastal resort”, the area will enhance its spatial quality and industrial capacity through a systematic approach combining renovation, new construction and other interventions on different scales.
Under the above context, the International Competition for Conceptual Planning and Design of Sanya Dadonghai Urban Renewal is now officially open for application.
This international competition is organized by Sanya Transportation Investment Industrial Development Co., Ltd., and co-organized by Shenzhen Position Architecture Co., Ltd.
2 Design Scope
The competition comprises two work scopes: “the conceptual planning and design for area renewal”, and “the conceptual design for key renewal nodes”.
The conceptual planning and design scope for area renewal is bounded by the mountain boundary to the north, the coastline to the south, Luneng Shanhaitian Residential Community to the west, and No.1 Harbour City to the east, covering a site area of approximately 126.8 hectares.
The conceptual design scope for key renewal nodes covers a site area of approximately 15.52 hectares, specifically including: 1) Dadonghai Plaza and Ruihai Shopping Mall plots, covering a site area of approximately 9.76 hectares; 2) Mingyue Plaza and surrounding plots, covering a site area of approximately 5.76 hectares.
3 Design Principles
This competition seeks to bring together leading expertise and advanced thinking in urban renewal and cultural-tourism upgrading. Based on a thorough understanding of the area’s current situation and preliminary research, participating teams are encouraged to propose visionary renewal plans that combine international perspectives with local distinctiveness. The goal is to formulate practical renewal strategies and conceptual planning schemes tailored for the future of Dadonghai.
4 Design Contents
- Conceptual Planning and Design Scope for Area Renewal
Adopt a systematic approach that integrates comprehensive renewal with targeted renovation intervention. This approach should be grounded in a thorough analysis of the “Luhuitou-Dadonghai” tourism cluster and its urban context.
1) Define the area’s future vision and overall positioning. Develop a thematic and branded tourism district with a “slow travel, immersive experience” approach. Elevate the area’s industries and business types based on available renewal resources.
2) Propose a land-use and programming plan. Optimize supporting facilities regarding municipal infrastructure, public services, and tourism. Define key technical and economic indicators, along with strategies for overall regional coordination and financial balance. Propose adjustment on land-use indicators based on the existing detailed regulatory plan.
3) In coordination with the regional transportation network of the Dadonghai–Xiayangtian area, study the traffic circulation, static parking, and underground space development of the Dadonghai Area. Propose a traffic and pedestrian system enhancement plan to improve connectivity and walkability, including improvement solutions for the intersection of Luling Road and Haiyun Road.
4) Enhance the area’s spatial identity. Based on holistic street design and “cool city” principles, propose detailed design schemes for key areas such as coastal streetscapes, commercial streets, and small-scale public spaces.
5) Conduct an economic feasibility analysis for the area renewal and propose funding balance strategies. For different intervention types such as preservation, renovation, adaptive reuse, and new construction, provide corresponding implementation strategies and phased development recommendations.
2. Conceptual Design Scope for Key Renewal Nodes
The conceptual design scope for key renewal nodes shall focus on two sites: “the Dadonghai Plaza and Ruihai Shopping Mall plots” and “the Mingyue Plaza and surrounding plots”. The conceptual design scope for key renewal nodes shall focus on two sites: “the Dadonghai Plaza and Ruihai Shopping Mall plots” and “the Mingyue Plaza and surrounding plots”. The design shall be based on a comprehensive analysis of existing conditions, commercial programs, and tourism-living functions. For each node, a clear design concept and renewal strategy shall be proposed, addressing the following components: site master plan, land use, functional programming, spatial form, traffic organization, public spaces, and key technical indicators. Based on the urban renewal design scheme, propose relevant adjustment to the existing detailed regulatory plan.
1) Dadonghai Plaza and Ruihai Shopping Mall plots: propose an integrated renewal scheme. Address key issues such as developing underground space, creating seamless connections to the beachfront, upgrading supporting facilities and alleviating parking shortages. The Ruihai Shopping Mall plot may accommodate revenue-generating programs (e.g. hotel, residential) to support financial balance, while also creating a landmark architectural node and high-quality open space for the area.
2) Mingyue Plaza and surrounding plots: in coordination with regional tourism facilities and the introduction of new programs, the proposal shall enhance tourism services and parking facilities through integrated planning of aboveground and underground spaces. Consider adding revenue-generating uses such as cultural and sports facilities, commercial services, hotels and apartments to support financial balance, and establish a multifunctional, mixed-use destination for tourism and extended stay.
5 Competition Rules: This competition adopts the form of “open procedure”, which is conducted in three phases: pre-qualification, design competition, and design integration.
Note: the drafting of the relevant statutory plans for this area will be organized separately by the organizer and legally entrusted to a qualified entity.
6 Competition Prizes
The shortlisted applicants, whose design scheme submissions meet the competition requirements determined by the Design Evaluation Panel, will receive corresponding prize money. The total prize money is RMB 4.3 million (tax inclusive). The prizes and prize money are set as follows:
Prizes:
First Prize: Prize Money of RMB 1, 500, 000
Second Prize: Prize Money of RMB 1, 000, 000
Third Prize: Prize Money of RMB 6, 00, 000 For Each
7 Application Requirements
- There is no design qualification requirement.
- A company could apply alone as an applicant, or form a consortium applicant (hereinafter referred to as consortium) with another company.
- The domestic applicant should be an independent legal entity (except for a design studio legally established according to The Partnership Enterprise Law of the People’s Republic of China) with a valid business license. The overseas (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) applicant should be a legal company or institution with a valid business registration certificate. Application from an individual or a group of individuals is not accepted.
- Two or more legal entities with the same legal representative (business partner), a parent company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, and companies that have a holding or management relationship are not allowed to apply as different applicants at the same time.
- The applicant must designate one chief designer. The chief designer must take full responsibility for the project, and lead the entire competition work process. The chief designer is required to attend the site visit and technical briefing session, mid-term presentation (online meeting), and design evaluation meeting. The chief designer should deliver the presentation speech. Overseas design companies must ensure that their overseas chief designers actually participate in the design work.
- The consortium should meet the following requirements:
1) One consortium consists of no more than two members (including the leading member). Each member of the consortium should not apply alone or participate in another consortium;
2) The consortium members should sign a legalConsortium Agreement, to specify the leading member, work distribution in each design phase, equity share, etc;
3) The chief designer should be personnel from the leading member company.
- Applicants are encouraged to form multidisciplinary teams comprising professionals in city planning, architectural design, landscape design, cultural and tourism planning, transportation planning, etc.
Note: The chief designers proposed for the competition must be registered personnel of the design company. To ensure an accurate understanding of the competition requirements, at least one of the main design team members should be a native Chinese speaker. The organizer reserves the right to disqualify any applicant if it is found that the actual chief designer does not match the person in the document submitted.
9 Material Download and Application Procedures
- Material Download
Please visit the project homepage to obtain competition documents, including the Pre-qualification Document and related attachments, the Design Brief for the pre-qualification phase and related attachments, site photos, and interactive 3D view of the site. The addendum and Q&A will be updated on the project homepage. It is recommended to bookmark the website and check it regularly.
Project Homepage: dadonghai.archiposition.com
Special Notes: For all information related to this competition announcement, the Pre-qualification Document, the Design Brief for the pre-qualification phase, and the relevant addendum and Q&A shall prevail.
- Application Procedures
The applicant must complete the official registration (email registration) and application document submission before the corresponding deadline. Any failure in official registration (email registration) or application document submission will be regarded as an invalid application. Please refer to the Pre-qualification Document for submission instruction details.
Step 1: Official Registration (Email Registration)
The applicant must send a scanned copy of the signed and stamped Application Letter (PDF) as well as the Applicant Information Form (Excel) to competition@archiposition.com before 17:00 (UTC+8) on March 2 (Monday), 2026. Please refer to the Pre-qualification Document for details.
Step 2: Application Document Submission
The complete application document should be submitted to the designated address before the corresponding deadline. The application document can be submitted on site or by mail.
Application for this competition is subject to the complete application document received on-site or by mail before the deadline. Late arrivals or non-conforming materials will not be accepted.
- Application Document
The application document primarily consists of the booklets and presentation boards of the concept proposal, the company profile and credit files, etc. For details on specification, quantity, and other requirements, please refer to the Pre-qualification Document.
10 Concept Proposal for the Pre-qualification Phase
The concept proposal should directly address the key topics of this project. It should primarily present core design ideas and renewal strategies through texts, analytical sketches and diagrams, reference images, etc. If any precedent is cited, its relevance to this project must be clearly indicated. The content should be straight to the point, and avoid redundancy.
The concept proposal booklet shall be in A3 landscape format, and shall be no more than 10 pages.
- Address the following key topics (Page 1-8):
1) In the context of overlapping strategic opportunities, how to understand the positioning of the Dadonghai Area in Sanya? Analyze the objectives and strategies for urban renewal in Dadonghai, and propose relevant case studies.
2) Based on the understanding of existing conditions and available renewal resources, identify the key challenges and priorities of this project, and propose corresponding solutions.
3) In response to the characteristics of the Dadonghai Area as a coastal urban district, propose preliminary ideas on functional programs, spatial design and placemaking, traffic optimization, design for landmark buildings and nodes, etc.
- Explain the team organization structure and task allocation within this project (Page 9-10).
The presentation boards shall be in A1 vertical format; one set consisting of two boards. The contents should address the key topics of this project. It is not required to present the team organization structure or task allocation on the boards.
For detailed requirements on the specification and quantity of the booklets and presentation boards, please refer to the Pre-qualification Document.
11 Intellectual Property Rights (Excerpt)
Please refer to the Pre-qualification Document for the complete content.
- Applicants must ensure that all contents of their design scheme submissions are original and do not infringe on any third-party intellectual property rights. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Any applicant found to be in violation will be held liable for any legal or economic consequences. The organizer reserves the right to disqualify any applicant found to be in violation, and will not pay or will request returning the prize money.
- After the organizer pays the corresponding prize money as stated in the competition documents, the intellectual property rights of the design schemes submitted by the prize winners (including the First Prize, Second Prize, and Excellence Prize winners) belong to both the prize winners and the organizer. The organizer has the right to use the design scheme in this project.
- Without the consent of the other party, neither the prize winners nor the organizer shall use the design schemes for any other projects. The prize winners have the right to use their design standards, design guidelines, and typical details for other projects.
- The prize winners should obtain written permission from the organizer before publishing or promoting their design schemes.
- The organizer and co-organizer have the right, free of charge, to use parts of the design scheme submissions or the entire design scheme submissions submitted by the applicants for promotion, publication, and exhibition, including announcing the evaluation results, presenting, displaying, and publishing the design schemes through media, professional journals, books or other forms. The name of the design team should be mentioned.
12 Confidentiality
Before the official announcement of the competition results, applicants or other related personnel are not allowed to disclose, made public or display the design works or any competition-related information/materials in any manner without the permission of the organizer. Otherwise, the corresponding party will be investigated for legal liability and the applicant will be disqualified from participating in or winning the competition.
Requirements / Eligibility
Please refer to the “7 Application Requirements above”.
About the Organizer
Organizer: Sanya Transportation Investment Industrial Development Co., Ltd.
Co-organizer: Shenzhen Position Architecture Co., Ltd.
Technical Support: Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute (Group) Co., Ltd.
To find more details & Register visit HERE
LAST DATE OF REGISTRATION: 02 MARCH 2026
LAST DATE OF SUBMISSION: 05 MARCH 2026
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